RoboBurger burger vending machine startup gets ‘Shark Tank’ loan offer [Video]

Dan Braido, Audley Wilson and Andy Siegel are the co-founders of RoboBurger, which makes vending machines that dispense customized burgers — a concept they call “the future of fast food.”

Their path toward that possible future got off to a rocky start on Friday’s episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” after the show’s investor judges criticized the Jersey City, New Jersey-based company’s presentation and argued over its business model.

Kevin O’Leary called the presentation “chaotic,” and initially declined to make an offer, after the co-founders struggled to explain the specifics of how the company could eventually become profitable.

“How do I make money? All the rest doesn’t matter,” O’Leary said.

Yet by the end of the episode, O’Leary teamed up with a guest judge, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, to offer the RoboBurger founders $1.5 million. Here’s how they came around to the idea and “did a 180,” as Rubin termed it.

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